Pain Relief

Pain is one of the greatest health problems we experience in our everyday life.According to research and estimations, pain is the major health issues one third of the world population are facing. The more we get older the more we are likely to experience pains, and women are more likely to experience pains than men. Whether pain is in acute form or chronic, they both affect the quality of our life and causes serious discomfort. Since pain is not uncommon, so the question arise whether one can live a pain-free life or not. And now we have to talk about pain management, which is the approach used in relieving pains.

There are different approaches to pain management and each approaches depends on the nature of the pain, whether acute or chronic. The three major approaches to pain management are by medical method, psychological method, and alternative therapy method.

Chronic pains are generally difficult to tackle, but in some cases of acute pains caused by injury, over the counter medications and alternative medicines can be used.

Causes of pains

Generally, pain may be in form of ache or sharp stab. It may be caused by different medical conditions such as arthritis, cancer, injury, surgery, and back problems. As commonly reported, back pain is usually the type of pains that many people complain. Other forms of pains that are commonly reported are pains involving the shoulder, limbs, neck and head.

Medical approach to pain management

Medical approach of managing pains can be divided into drugs treatment and surgical method. The popular analgesic drugs can be used in pain reduction or elimination without affecting awareness. on the other hand the brain is the major target of psychotropic drugs, and they influence emotional state of the patient. Patients are advice to be careful with psychotropic drugs because of their long term effects.

Nerve blocking is also another medical approach to pain management, and it involves the application of drugs (injection) around the appropriate nerves to inhibit the pain message from getting to the brain.

Alternative methods of pain management

There are many alternative methods to manage pains effectively without risk. No single method would be best in managing pains except when combined with other treatments and therapies. So far, a combination of methods is the best in pain management. Some of the effective alternative pain management methods are:

Massage treatment: this method is suitable for soft tissues, and should be avoided for pains that originate from joints.

Stress management techniques such as meditation and yoga are also methods that can help in pain management.

Physical therapy: physical therapy can help in pain management and pain relief in many ways depending on the actual cause of the pain. Aerobic exercises, as well as walking and stretching could help in effective pain management. Again, physical activities can relief you of pains and help you stay active.

In conclusion, pain is a big problem to majority of the world population. While several methods can be used to manage pains, some methods might not be suitable for all forms of pains. Seek proper help from qualified personnel before you embark on any treatment method.

At Atrium Physical Therapy, we design the most suitable program to help you manage pains effectively, and give you full pain relief when possible. We are currently implementing a new component to our services, called Therapeutic Neuroscience Education.